Release of Rajiv Gandhi assassins: Congress to file review on SC order

India's main opposition party Congress today said it would seek a review of the Supreme Court decision to free the six assassins of its leader and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Congress, in principle, has decided to seek a review of the apex court order, senior party leader and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the media in New Delhi.

The decision came a few days after the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week moved the apex court seeking a review of its order for premature release of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, our New Delhi correspondent reports.

Singhvi said, "We are yet to decide on the modalities -- whether we will intervene in the central government's review application or intervene otherwise."

The Supreme Court on November 11 had directed the premature release of the six convicts, including Nalini Sriharan and RP Ravichandran, serving life term in the case. It noted that the Tamil Nadu government recommended the remission of their sentence.

In ordering the release of the convicts, the Supreme Court took into account their "satisfactory" during their stay in prison.

Other than Nalini and Ravichandran, four other convicts also freed were Santhan, Murugan, Robert Payas and Jayakumar.